Nagaland plays host to second Open Futsal Tournament

Kohima, Feb 20 (ANI): Nagaland capital Kohima recently played host to the second Open Futsal Tournament 2009, the first of its kind tournament in the region.

The game is played on basketball-sized courts, both indoors and outdoors, and without the use of sidewalls.

For the second consecutive year, the Excel United Club organised the Futsal tournament in the state with 12 teams from Kohima and Peren district participating. The event lasted for five days.

"This Futsal was organised last year also by the Excel United Club. This year also, we have organized it for the second time. Futsal is a new game for all of us in the state of Nagaland. Futsal has its origin in South America and ahs slowly gained in popularity," said Xavier Rusta, a member of the club.

The Naga Boys Club clinched the title with an 8-2 win over Legend Lads in the final.

A cash prize of rupees 15,000 was awarded to the winning team and rupees 10,000 and rupees 5000 to the first runners-up and second runners-up respectively.

Individual prizes were also given to the best player and highest scorer of the tournament.

Residents feel that Nagaland has many talented Futsal players, and believe the game can bring peace to the insurgent-hit state.

Overwhelmed with the huge response, the organizing committee now hopes to organize more Fustal tournaments in the years to come.

Brazil continues to be the Futsal hub of the world. The game is now played, under the auspices of FIFA, all over the world.

The origin of Futsal can be traced back to Montevideo in South America's Uruguay, hen Juan Carlos Ceriani devised a five-a-side version of soccer for youth competition in YMCA in 1930. By Vibhou Ganguly (ANI)